


Who Let the Akatsuki Out?

by XCLayMacionPoint



Series: Intern at the Akatsuki Concert Hall [11]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dogs, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crack, Dogs, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:53:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9919844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XCLayMacionPoint/pseuds/XCLayMacionPoint
Summary: Sumire loves her internship. Excluding the copious amounts of feces, who wouldn't love playing with dogs for work? A typical day goes by quickly, a few dogs come in, a few dogs find new homes. But today is not normal, today the Daybreak SPCA gets a bunch of new, odd tenants. Hopefully, they don't give her too much trouble.





	1. Weird Dogs, Weird Day

It was a busy day. The entrance was crowded with families and their animals, barking, yapping, chatting, and getting snippy with the middle-aged woman at the front desk whose only job was to sign people in, not to answer their veterinary-related questions. She was meant to direct people in one direction or another, to the left you’ll find the adoption area where the many dogs and cats were kept, waiting to go to their new homes and to the right was the real entrance to the veterinary service area. _Stop chatting, keep moving, we have a lot of people coming in. If you’ll just fill out this form, we can let you in to view the dogs that are available for adoption. If your pet requires emergency care please enter the door to the right and notify the young woman at the front desk, there, she will contact a doctor and you will be put into our emergency area._

“You should greet everyone at the door like it’s a hotel.”

On her break with a cigarette in her hand, Haruko glared at the intern who was grinning, obviously amused by her own joke. The small woman was leaning forward slightly with her round chin rested on her small hands. The broom her hands were folded atop of, swayed beneath the weight of her head.

“Good afternoon, welcome to the Daybreak SPCA, my name is Fujinuma Haruko. How can I assist you?” the young girl teased again.

“Shouldn’t you be sweeping up crap, Sumire.”

A pout came to her lips.

“I was kidding.”

“Go kid with the mutts.”

A huff came from the intern and she spun back to the employee only entrance. Before entering she pulled her long black hair into a messy bun.

“Hi puppies,” she greeted the fully-grown dogs in the steel cages by the glass door. “I will be your maid today.”

It was Koizumi Sumire’s second week at the shelter/veterinary center cleaning up after the dogs, moving them from one part of the building to another, feeding, watering, playing, and grooming them as was requested. The first week had been difficult, she was not adjusted to hideous smells that filled the backroom where animals just brought to the shelter were kept. Twice she had stepped in feces and once she had slipped in vomit, but none of that mattered when she gazed into the innocent faces of the furry pups.

Currently, she was sweeping a mass of hair towards the dustpan in the corner of the room. She expected it would be another messy, but fulfilling day. The screen door leading into the hallway swung open and she turned.

“Sumire, when you’re done sweeping, can you moves the dogs in cages 1 through 10 into the showing area?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thanks.”

Her co-worker left without another word. _We’ve never moved that many dogs at once, I wonder if we’re having an adoption event_. Haruko entered through the glass door while yawning, her greying bob haircut remained stiff around her head as she stretched and leaned back.

“So glad the walk-ins ends soon.”

“You say that every day, Haruko-san.” Sumire giggled, sweeping the last of the hair into a neat pile.

“It better not get any more hectic. If I have to tell another person the price of our rabies vaccination I’m going to lose it.”

“It feels like it’s going to be an easy day.”

“As soon as you say something like that, we’re doomed for a wild afternoon.”

Sumire smiled quietly at the miniature pinscher staring up at her from the cage at her feet.

“You get to go out on the floor today, sweetie.” She cooed.

“Ugh, they’re dogs, not babies. They can’t understand you.” Haruko sneered and exited the backroom in a huff.

“She don’t know nothing,” Sumire let her voice become cutesy, “you get me don’t you?”

The pinscher’s tail wagged.

“Yes, you do.”

When she disposed of the hair pile, she eagerly guided the dogs into the meeting area one by one, each happily jumping against her leg or wagging their tail. She returned to clean the emptied cages. Footsteps rushed back and forth outside the screen door, there was some yelling and some cursing.

“Geeze, what do you think’s going on out there?” she faced the terrier curled up in its cage with its short snout raised.

She watched its tiny nostrils flare as it studied the various scents that she could not detect. The door crashed open behind her and she leapt, turning on her heel.

“Sumire, we need your help.”

“What’s going on?” she followed him into the hall.

“One of our scouts found a shed with a bunch of adult dogs.”

“How many?” they headed towards the entrance.

“8.”

_That’s a lot, no wonder they had me move all the dogs to the show area._

Sumire was in awe of the array of dog breeds in the crates of the large van. _I didn’t think they would be all different, usually when they find abandoned dogs they’re all usually the same breed._

“Sumire, in the front seat we have three smaller male dogs. Put them in cages one, two, and three. We’ll label everything once they’ve all been contained.”

“Understood.”

She peeked into the window to see three medium-small dogs in crates stacked atop one another. She pulled the door open.

“Hi sweethearts. Are you confused? It’s okay, we’ll get you acclimated.” She undid the latch to the cage on top.

“Come here little pup.” She held her hands out to the dachshund.

The long dog with short reddish-brown fur stared at her, it’s large dark brown eyes flashing with suspicion at the small, unknown girl approaching him. The dachshund turned its head to the beagle in the cage on the floor of the front seat. They stared at one another for a few moments, as though they were communicating through thought.

“Are you all friends?” Sumire giggled. “It’s okay, you’ll all be put in the same place.”

The dachshund moved forward slightly. She brought him forward by his ribcage and rested his back legs on her forearm to support the length of his body. She gently scratched along his spine with her long nails.

“There you go, sweetie.”

The dachshund’s eyes closed as though it enjoyed the feeling, then studied her cherubic face. She heard a yip sound come from the Chihuahua still in one of the cages on the seat. The dachshund snapped its head around and growled.  
“Hey, hey. Don’t mind him, he’s just jealous.” She ran her fingers from behind his ears to the base of his spine then headed around the building to the employee entrance that had been propped open.

Sumire placed him in the first of cages then returned to the car to retrieve the Chihuahua. She passed one of the male workers, hauling a large bull mastiff with a short leash. It snarled at him and snapped. Another worker rushed over and clipped a muzzle onto its short snout. _Poor thing’s just spooked_ , she thought as she unlatched the cage to the Chihuahua. He rushed forward and hopped towards her.

“Oh!” she giggled as he nuzzled into her neck. “You’re an affectionate one.”

She patted its head. Its short fur was covered in bits of dirt and its claws dug hard into her shoulder.

“Owe, owe, owe, you’re hurting me dear.”

As though it understood, its grip softened and it let its body go mostly limp.

“Thank you.” She readjusted his back legs and did the same with the Chihuahua as she had previously done with the weary dachshund.

When she closed the cage, the tiny creature started yipping at her loudly, and jumping against the door. The dachshund beside it was glaring. She paused near the door as they guided in a large Doberman. It was silent, straight, as though it were a show dog. It’s pointed ears were quickly turning from side to side, it’s eyes darting from one part of the room to the other.

“What a beautiful boy!” she exclaimed and reached for its head.

It jerked away and Sumire stepped back.

“I’m sorry boy, I should have introduced myself first.”

“Before you get the beagle, can you help the guys with the golden retriever?” her co-worker asked.

“Okay, why? Is it scared?”

“No, its-”

A loud, harsh bark came from outside and she immediately walked out into the warm air. She saw two men wrestling with a medium golden retriever, it’s hair was long and luscious though covered in patches of dirt. It snapped at the worker’s hands.  
“Sumire! Bring the noose!” one of them yelled.

She rushed back in and went to a normally locked closet that had been left open just for this afternoon. She snatched up a long steel pole with a loop of aluminum at the end. The man closest to her nearly ripped it from her hands, after some struggling and biting at the aluminum, he was able to slip it around the retriever’s snout. It writhed back and forth. Sumire stepped a bit closer.

“Don’t come near it!” one of them roared.

Her heart was beating hard in her chest, not because she was concerned the dog would harm her, but because she saw it was afraid. Its fiery eyes were a sparkling blue, which was not usual for a dog, especially a retriever. The large pupils were moving quickly, it’s body tense.

“It’s okay.” She said softly.

It looked directly at her, snarling when she took another step towards it.

“Sumire get back!”

“We’re not going to hurt you.” She continued, ignoring them. “We just want to put you inside, with the rest of your friends.”

Suddenly its muscles relaxed. Both men looked shocked that it responded to her so quickly. She held out her hand, waiting for it to bend its head and sniff, but it only eyed her.

“They’re gonna take you inside now, okay?”

It watched her small hand glide through the air slowly until it stopped on his head. She patted it softly and smiled.

“Good boy.” Her voice came out exaggerated.

Its tail wagged for a moment and it stopped, looking away as though it were embarrassed by its natural reaction to her sweet voice. She moved out of the way and the two men guided the retriever into the backroom where the rest of the dogs had been taken. Sumire found the beagle sitting in its cage, patiently awaiting it’s turn to be brought inside.

“Hi there.”

It calmly walked to her and let her take him in his arms. She held him close and closed the van door with her foot.

“Your friends are a bit feisty. I hope you can let them know, we aren’t going to hurt them.”

She ruffled its ears. The men were grumbling and walking back and forth, glaring at the large dogs who had given them a hard time. _If you don’t like the tough cases, then don’t work here,_ she thought while setting the calm, regal beagle into the third cage.

“Since they like you so much, you feed ‘em.” One of them said and they left her alone.

“Fine, I will.”

The room felt very quiet, despite there being so many animals. She prepared the rectangular paper plates with a mix of dry and wet food.

“Let me get water to you all first.” She grabbed the large stack of silver stainless steel bowls.

“Aren’t you pretty?” she knelt in front of a large Siberian Husky.

Its eyes were small with a single dot in the center of each. It’s long, fluffy hair was a lovely mix of greys and white, but in the yellow light of the shelters back room it appeared almost blue.

“I’m gonna give you some water and food, okay?” She unlocked the door and set the bowl of water inside.

She left it open while retrieving the food. When she turned back around it remained sitting where it was, it’s eyes following her as she walked back and forth.

“Good boy.” She scratched behind his ears.

It did not react to her affections. She repeated the process with each one, but none of them moved towards the water and food she had set down. Minus the Chihuahua who began yipping just as she approached the cage. All at once the other dogs were looking at him, but as soon as he calmed down they were all watching her. Sumire stepped a few feet away. _I feel like… I’m in a room full of people and they’re all just waiting for me to speak._

“You’re a strange bunch of dogs, aren’t you?”

She let down her hair to run her fingers through it, then put it back up in a tight bun.

“I’ll be back.” She called, waving towards the eight pairs of eyes on her.

She followed the soiled white linoleum to the employee breakroom. The voices of her co-workers bled into the hallway and became increasingly louder as she neared.

“Which two did you miss?”

She silently passed them to pour herself a cup of water.

“There was a shiba and a dalmation in there, but they got away while I was wrestling that damn retriever.”

“Wow, but really? All of those dogs were just there?”

“I only decided to look because I heard a bark. When I walked in the greyhound and the bullmastiff were growling at each other like they were having a conversation.”

“Arguing, huh?”

Sumire swallowed down the last of her water. _Huh, what weird dogs._ The small group continued to gossip, with Haruko egging them on for juicy details about his struggles with each dog.

The main reason Sumire had taken this internship was due to the limited human and increased dog interaction. Every morning she awoke in her tiny studio apartment with a smile on her face, excited to see the smiling faces of pups whose only desire was to join a loving family.

She stretched her arms high above her head and made her way to the backroom.

“Alright boys, time for grooming.” She closed the screen door behind her. “We’ll start with…”

The air in the room shifted.

“What?” she pouted at all of them. “No one wants to be clean?”

The greyhound barked at her.

“Well if you want to go to a good home, you’ll have to be presentable. That’s just how it is!”

The entire room became filled with loud, bellowing, almost frantic howling, the tips of their noises all pointed towards the beagle who was silently observing Sumire.  
“Yeah yeah yeah, no one likes baths.”

She prepped the basin with warm water and slid gloves over her hands.

“How about…” she went to the closest cage. “you mister dachshund?”

It growled when her hands neared it.

“C’mon, please? I’m just going to clip your nails and give you a quick bath? You’ll be all clean, you won’t stink anymore? Won’t that be nice?”

It growled again. A bark came from two cages over, from the brown and white dog who had been silent up until this point. The dachshund reluctantly let Sumire take him to the sink.

“I’ll try to make it quick okay?”

While she scrubbed him, she heard the greyhound yapping in the corner, the sounds coming out like a strange high-pitched laugh. She finished and used the blow dryer on the frowning dachshund’s now silky, soft hair. Finally, she brushed his back and clipped his nails.

“There that wasn’t so bad? Now, I’ll just grind them, so you don’t scratch anybody.” She took one of his paws and placed the grinder against the softened nail.

“Aaaaaand, done. See? All shiny and clean.” She scratched beneath his ears and his eyes shut, a look of pleasure forming on its features.

“Feels nice, right? So, who wants to go next?”

The Chihuahua scraped its paws against the cage.

“Someone’s eager,” she mused while returning the newly cleaned dachshund to his cage. “I guess it’s you then.”

“Sumire,” the screen door was opening again.

“Yes?”

“You can take care of the rest tomorrow morning, manager wants to close up and go for drinks.”

“Okay.” She turned to the small, tanned dog. “Sorry honey, I’ll have to take care of you tomorrow.”

She double checked that the cages were locked.

“See you tomorrow boys, sleep well.”

She gave them all a smile and a wave before shutting off the light and closing the door. She gathered her things in the employee breakroom.

“Here,” the manager held out a ring of keys. “You and Haruko will be opening tomorrow. Since she’ll probably be late, you take the keys.”

“Sure, thank you.”

“Ah, see you tomorrow.”

She bowed her head. _Guess it’ll just be me and the dogs for a while. She’s always at least an hour late._ Sumire let her hair down for a final time. _It’ll be fun. I can get to know those weirdos._

**The Following Morning**

Sumire breathed out a steady stream of warm air that twisted and curled until it dissipated into the crisp morning. She wrapped herself tighter in her jacket, entering through the front and locking the door behind her. She hung things in the employee lounge and went to the back room where the dogs she was most eager to engage with were, all likely still sleeping. Before she stepped through the screen door she knew something was amiss. Inside she saw the dogs all silently seated in their cages.

In the cage where the golden retriever had been kept, she saw an animal, who resembled the dog only in his long blonde hair. Instead of a body covered in golden fur, she saw oodles of pale skin and limbs like that of a human. In fact, it was a human. He was crouched in a horrendously uncomfortable position, his knees tight against his chest and his head bent forward. He craned his neck to meet shocked gaze. She opened her mouth speak, though she had no idea what she would say, but he interrupted her:

“Before you say anything, just…” there was a flash of desperation in his stunning blue eyes, “just let me out of this freakin’ cage, un.”


	2. Not a Dream

_This is a weird dream. There’s a man crouched in a dog cage. I don’t think I’ve had a dream like this before. Usually my dog dreams include me running from a rabid dog or trying to get a dog off my leg. My leg is not for humping good sir._

“Seriously, my legs are going numb. Sumire, let me out, un.”

_Wait, how does he know my name? He must have heard it when the other workers said it aloud, but then that would mean he understood me… this is just a dream though! It doesn’t matter if he knows my name. I just have to walk out into the hall and when I come back things will be different._

She spun around quickly and exited into the hall, much to the protest of the caged blonde. She waited a few moments then returned, hoping that the room would change.

“Okay,” she was speaking to herself. “This is odd, is this happening?”

“Sumire.”

“How did you get in there?” she nearly shouted.

“Those guys put me in here, yesterday.”

“…no they put a golden retriever in that cage? What did you do with the golden retriever?”

“I…” he sighed in frustration, “I am…”

He glared at the floor and he gripped the wiring of the cage.

“I am that… dog, un.”

“No, y-you’re clearly human!” she pointed an accusing finger at him.

“I know it doesn’t make sense. Yesterday I woke up as a dog, today I woke up a human. Now please, let me out of this damn cage, un.”

_I guess it makes sense to let him out… He must be really uncomfortable… but… what if he tries to attack me? I should just call the police. So I can get started with my day and groom the other dogs and go… go back to normal._

The blonde was staring at her, wondering why she was taking so long to let him out but now he knew. _She doesn’t remember me, does she? Does that mean she doesn’t remember any of us? That’ll make this tough._

“Sumire. I’m not going to hurt you. I know it sounds wild but I am that golden retriever, okay? Who in their right mind would lock themselves inside a dog cage?”

Sumire felt it strange that she believed him. His eyes were pleading to be released. The other dogs were strangely silent as well, as though they were gauging her. _Why do I want to trust him?_ There was a sense within her, one of familiarity. She had felt it when she was alone with all them. She chalked it up to her comfort around animals, such innocent creatures only with a desire for love and attention. Yet, there was something more here with these odd dogs.

“I… I’m going to call the police.” She said despite the odd feeling filling her small body.

“No! Just let me out and I’ll leave, un!”

All at once the silence was filled with loud, sharp barking. The Chihuahua yipped and clawed at the wire cage. The larger dogs let out low, heavy barks. The blonde man glared at the them as though he understood what they were saying.

“Whoa quiet down!” she called.

They fell silently, now are staring at her again. She was taken aback by this. Well trained dogs did listen when they were told to quiet down, but the silence was too quick to have been normal. _There is something up here. Am I on some sort of prank show?_

“Just let me out and we can talk about this.”

“…there’s…” she looked around nervously at all the dogs. “There’s nothing to talk about. I need to call the police.”

“Sumire, please! This is going to sound really wild, but…” he gripped the cage tighter. “You know all of us, you’ve met all of us before, we worked together, at the Akatsuki Concert Hall.”

“…what are you talking about?”

“Your name is Koizumi Sumire. You’re twenty-six years old. Five foot two. Allergic to peanuts. You love sweets and your favorites are chocolate truffles dusted with cocoa powder and hot chocolate with whipped cream.”

Her eyes were wide. _Stalker. He’s a stalker._

“You prefer Ramen over Soba. When you were in high school you tripped, and ripped your favorite pants, so you had to wear your jacket around your waist, un.”

“You…”

“You told me all of this when we were working together, un.”

“No. No. You’re a freak stalker.” She backed up.

“Sumire, I’m not going to hurt you.”

She turned back around and headed back to the workroom to find her cellphone.

**X**

_Smooth, Deidara-chan._

The blonde glared at the greyhound who was poised on his hip.

“Hey, what the hell would you have said, un?”

_I wouldn’t start listing off her whole life. Of course, she’d think you’re a stalker._

He strained his neck to look at the dachshund.

“Well, what should I say then? How about some help, instead of yelling at me?”

_You must be calm and try to make her trust you. Otherwise this situation will become far more complicated that we’d like it to be._

“Like I said, what the hell should I say?” he retorted to the Doberman.

A sudden sharp pain appeared in his abdomen and he winced. His fingers found their way to his midriff, cursing as he touched his skin.

_What’s wrong?_

“I don’t know.”

They all watched in shock as his body began to contort.

**X**

Sumire peeked through the screen door while holding the phone up to her ear. Her eyes went wide and she reentered the back area. Where the man had been uncomfortably crouched, she saw a crop of dirty fur and the sleek body of a dog. She approached it slowly.

“What?” she met its stunning blue eyes.

It made a low whining sound as though it were in pain. Her instincts kicked in. She lowered the phone and stuffed into her pocket.

“Are you okay?”

_I was just hallucinating. Imaginations can run wild. It’s no big deal. It happens. It’s just the golden retriever. It’s in pain, I should help it._

It whined again and curled up. Sumire started to undo the latch to the cage.

_But what if it isn’t a golden retriever? What if he’s some sort of shapeshifter and he just wants me to let him out of the cage? No, Sumire. That’s stupid. You were just having a weird moment and now everything is back to normal just like you wanted. He’s just a dog._

She lifted the latch and pulled it open. The dog slowly moved forward, his limbs shaking as he did so.

“Poor thing.” She walked to the closet to find a brush.

When she turned around she screamed. The man was standing, though partially hunched over, his hand braced against the steel table in the middle of the room.

“Please, wait…” he winced. “I’m not doing this, un.”

She was frozen in place in shock and fear.

“Even if I wanted to hurt you,” he groaned, still clutching his abdomen. “I wouldn’t be able to. I’m in too much damn pain.”

“D-don’t move.”

“Couldn’t if I wanted to.”

He dropped to his knees. She jumped and stepped back. Any small movement he made had her on edge. Her trembling hand was reaching into her pocket and searching for her phone.

“And I don’t!” he stated with what strength he could muster.

_Call the police. Go to the door. Run._

“Please help.”

“Help? You want me to help you?”

“Can you… can you at least get me something to wear, un?”

“…wear…what?”

He rose slowly and she hurriedly plucked the phone from her pocket. It slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor, dangerously close to the man standing a few feet away. _Oh no. Oh no._ Their eyes met and her face took on a pink tint. _He’s really handsome._ Her gaze passed over him for a moment. _And he’s naked._

“T-There are clothes in the breakroom…”

_He could. He could grab a hold of me and… I just have to get my phone when he’s not looking or just run and find someone on the street or…_

“Would you get them for me, un? I can’t really move much.”

_He’s trying to trick me. He’s going to hurt me. Go to the door and run for it._

“What do I have to do to make you trust me?”

“…k-kick my phone back to me.”

He reached a bare foot out and gently slid the phone across the floor. She picked it up, clutching it to her chest in fear.

“If I was going to hurt you, would I have done that?”

_I can’t trust him. It’s a naked man that can turn into a dog. It hurts him to do so though…_

She started to dial.

“Sumire. At least get me some clothes before you call the police. I’ll be sitting right here when you get back. Okay?”

A few of the dogs growled.

“Well she doesn’t trust me? What the hell do you want me to do, un?” he hissed at the cages.

The tension and anxiety in her body was at a dangerous level. Cold shiver after cold shiver rushed down her spine. Her clammy hands gripping her device tight enough to crack it. Her knees were buckling. Tears started to fall down her face. Before she passed out she saw his expression change from pain to deep worry. Her small body collapsed to the floor. He called out her name and dashed to her side, catching her head with his hand before it hit the linoleum floor. He gritted his teeth as another searing ache enveloped his middle. In almost a push-up position, he set her head down softly, then let himself fall to the floor.

_Get up idiot._

“Shut up.”

He moved to his side.

_Deidara. Take her phone. If you let her keep it, she’ll call the police._

“She’s going to be freaked out anyway, why does it matter?”

 _Take her phone_.

“Sorry, Sumire.” He said as he pried it from her fingers.

He moved to his knees. _Is it really Sumire if she doesn’t remember me? She looks just like our Sumire, but if she’s a completely different girl, she’ll never trust us. It took our Sumire eternity to get comfortable with us…_ He was on his feet again, the pain present but subsiding. _Well, she has the same anxiety issues as our Sumire._

_Yo, stop walking around with your junk out._

He knit his brows in annoyance and glanced around the room.

“Look who’s talking, un.”

_We’re dogs. It’s allowed._

“Whatever.”

X

Sumire’s eyelids fluttered. _It was a dream, just a dream. What a dream? A shapeshifting human-dog-person._ Her vision cleared and she realized where she was. _Whoa, what?_

“You’re awake.”

She sat up suddenly.

“Are you okay?”

She stared up at the naked man in horror.

“Wait, don’t panic or you’ll pass out again, un.” He knelt.

She scrambled away from him until her back hit the wall.

“Why are you doing this?”

“If I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it when you passed out.”

He watched her line of sight drift downward and he placed his hands over his crotch. Her face flushed and she looked away again.

“If you’re feeling okay, can you just get me something to wear? I’ll stay right here, sitting, like I said. I won’t do anything, un.”

“…”

“And when I have something on we can just… talk.”

 _Why didn’t he do anything when I passed out? Why doesn’t he just leave? He must want to do something to me… my phone._ She searched with her eyes but noticed it was missing. _Did he take it? Is it still in the breakroom? This is the time to run._

“Please.”

His expression was pleading.

“…you’ll stay right here.”

“Yes.”

_My phone might be in the breakroom? I thought I grabbed it though._

“I’ll be back.”

She rushed to said room on her wobbling legs. She couldn’t find it in her locker or her purse _. I can use the front desk phone, I just have to get there without him noticing._

In case she was unsuccessful she searched for some article of clothing. Much to her luck she found a few linen aprons that had recently been washed.

Her head popped into the hallway from the employee breakroom door. _He said he would stay in there and he is… what is up with this guy? If he had some nefarious plot to hurt me… wouldn’t he be more cautious? Maybe he isn’t trying to hurt me?_

_Sumire stop thinking nonsense and go to the phone. Call the damn police._

She tiptoed to the door that lead to the foyer. _He… he did ask to not be naked when the police get here…_

_Stop it. What are you thinking?_

_I’m thinking that… I should give him the apron first._

_You are a moron, Sumire. Call. The. Police._

Despite the protestations of her own mind she approached the door leading to the backroom. She poked her arm in to hold out the aprons.

“I’m sorry, that’s all I could find.”

“This’ll do.”

She twiddled her fingers until he called to her that he had finished. Her foot slid in a motion to back away, but his silence enticed her to open the door.

 _Sumire, you moron,_ repeated across her consciousness. It became a steady mantra as she entered. Back inside the blonde man seemed to be having a staring contest with the Doberman.

“Um…”

He looked at her. Around his waist, he had tied the apron’s, but low enough that she could see the defining lines in his abdomen. She avoided staring at him.

“W-what’s your name?”

“Deidara… you really don’t remember me, do you?”

“You mean from yesterday? When you were trying to bite everyone?” _What am I evening saying? Do I actually believe him? I should be calling the police._

“No, not that. Me, Deidara. We’ve met before.”

“I think I would remember a golden retriever with the power to change into a human.”

“That’s not it! I am human, I just got turned into a dog, un.”

“…How?”

He opened his mouth to speak but immediately stopped. He looked around at all the dogs still in cages.

“I don’t remember. Do you guys?”

_Oh no, he’s out of his mind._

Suddenly many of the dogs were shaking their heads, the greyhound was barking loudly.

“No one remembers how it happened, un.”

“No… one… you mean…”

“Oh right, all the dogs you brought in. They’re human, too.”

“Huh.” _Yup, he’s out of his mind. Sumire you idiot._

He was looking at the beagle now:

“Okay.”

Sumire jumped slightly as he approached the cage. He started to undo the latches and she darted to him. She grasped his hands.

“You can’t do that!”

“I told you, they’re human, we’re all human. We just got turned into dogs, un.”

“I don’t… I can’t…”

“How else could I have been in that cage?”

Their eyes met again. _What is wrong with me?_ Her small, warm hands slowly slid off his.

A faint smile appeared on his lips, fondness present in his softened features. _Maybe she has some sense of us… I can’t make heads or tails of all this, but at the very least she might be able to help us, if I can get her to calm down completely._ He opened the cage and the beagle calmly exited.

“Can you understand him?” she asked curiously.

“Ah, he says we have to get out of here, we can’t afford to be separated, un.”

_Call the police. He’s going to steal all of the dogs._

“I know this is really confusing and scary, but I need you to trust me. At any moment the rest of us could turn back and it’d be a huge mess. We’d go to jail for being perverts or witches or something and they’d run tests on us, un.”

“Why should I believe you?” The voice in her head continued to scream for her to run, but her feet remained planted firmly on the ground.

“You saw it for yourself. One second I was a dog the next I was back to human.”

“…what was… what was all that stuff you said earlier… about… about us… working together?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. We can talk more about it when we’re somewhere safe, un.”

Her anxiety returned in a cold wave. Her body suddenly felt heavy _. I’m gonna pass out again._

“Sumire.” He cautiously placed his hands on her shoulders.

She stiffened.

“I am just as confused as you are, but I know somewhere deep down you know me and you trust me. Why else would you have come back in?”

Something was familiar in his soft touch. The fingers that squeezed her did not frighten her. Her eyes became watery again. She was arguing with herself. A part of her said to run away and call the police, the other demanded that she listen to what he had to say.

“Geeze,” she wiped her tears. “I don’t know why I think you’re right.”

He patted both of her cheeks.

“That’s what you do when you’re embarrassed,” he laughed.

Her face was completely flushed now.

“I get it! Okay! So what do we do?” _I can’t believe I’m going along with this, this is totally nuts._

“Pein-kantoku wants to get us out of here, un.”

“So… the beagle is Pein… kantoku?”

“He’s the concert hall director.”

“Oh,” she nodded her head at the beagle staring up at her. “It’s nice… to meet you.”

“The Chihuahua is Tobi, the tall ugly one in the corner is Hidan.”

The greyhound snarled at him.

“The big brown one is Kakuzu, the fluffy bluish one is Kisame, and the black one is the Uchiha.”

“Uchiha?”

“Itachi’s his first name.”

“Ah.”

“And the little one,” he put a fist to his mouth, “the one you gave a bath to…”

_I gave… oh gosh…_

“That’s danna, Sasori-no-danna.” He chuckled.

A low growl came from the reddish-brown dachshund. Her face became bright red.

“I’m so sorry.” She blurted and bowed.

“Pein-kantoku says we need to get out of here at the very least, but it’d be tough walking out with a bunch of dogs, un.” He was speaking half to her and half to the beagle seated at their feet.

“I-I have a car… it might be big enough, but where do you need to go?”

“We can’t go back to that shack we were in, they’ll find us again. We need somewhere to hide until we can figure out how to change everyone back, un.”

“…”

_No. That’s stupid. Sumire what are you doing? Stop it right now._

“…I… my studio apartment allows dogs, there’s a two dog limit though…”

_But if you take them all to your apartment, what are you going to do? Come back and call the police then and say the dogs were stolen?_

_Sounds like a great plan to me._

“Are you okay with taking us there?”

She nodded.

_Sumire. You. Are. An. Idiot._

He sighed in relief then grinned at her. She blushed a bit then went back to the breakroom to find her keys and her purse.

_Give her back her phone._

“What?” Deidara looked down at the small dog.

_If she thinks you stole it from her then we may lose her trust._

“I did steal it.”

_Pretend you found it for her._

He waited for her to return and did as the other dogs had told him. She thanked him and went to the very back door. She glanced around outside while Deidara let the rest of the dogs out of their cages. When the coast was clear she led the pack to her car. They piled in and she took the driver’s seat. Deidara sat beside her the beagle leaping over his lap then placing its paws on the dashboard, barely able to stare over the edge of it.

“Be careful, you might fall.” She said to it.

It looked at her briefly then settled for being beside the mostly naked blonde man.

 _Here we go, I guess._ She thought while shifting the gears.

_I’m totally going to get fired, but well… whatever._


End file.
